Re: upgrade to windows XP
- From: Bruce Chambers <bchambers@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 05 Aug 2006 09:24:06 -0600
A E wrote:
I have an old PC which was running windows 98 fine. Microsoft stopped supporting win 98 a month ago. I had to purchase windows xp ( way to go microsoft) .
Why? Just because Win98 isn't going to be supported any longer (and it is rather "long in the tooth") doesn't mean that it's going to suddenly stop working. There was no "need" to upgrade. You upgraded because you wanted to do so, not because you "had" to do so.
My PC meets the min requirements to run XP, CPU at 300, RAM is 384, Hard disk is 20 Gig.
By "minimum requirements," Microsoft seems to mean that the OS will install, but not that the computer will then be of any practical use. This has been the case for as long as I can remember. (WinNT 4.0 on a 66 MHz 80486Dx CPU? Yes, it installed, but it was a painful thing to use.)
The word "glacial" comes to mind, if the computer doesn't have a CPU of at least 500 MHz along with at least 256 Mb of RAM. You'll also want a larger hard drive, if you're going to add any applications to the OS.
Acceptable performance is, of course, a matter of personal opinion and depends entirely upon what *you* expect to do with your computer. If all you want to do is play WinXP's built-in games, send and receive simple emails, browse the Internet (while avoiding the more "ornamental" web sites) etc., such a machine may well meet your needs. If, however, you plan to take advantage of WinXP's multimedia capabilities, play graphic-intensive games, or do advanced word or data processing, such a machine would probably be woefully inadequate.
If you turn off all of WinXP GUI eye-candy, it will still be very slow, but it might be usable for simple word processing, email, web-browsing, etc. It won't be any good for graphics-intensive applications, and most newer games. (During the public preview period, I tested WinXP on a 500 MHz machine with 256 Mb of RAM, and it was much slower than I like.)
To help improve WinXP's performance on older machines:
1) Right-click the Task Bar > Properties > Start Menu, ensure "Classic Start menu" is selected.
2) Right-click an empty spot on the Desktop > Properties > Themes > select "Windows Classic."
3) Right-click My Computer > Properties > Performance > Settings > Visual Effects, ensure "Adjust for best performance" is selected.
The problem is when I go to windows update, the CPU goes to 100% and the PC freezes.
I'm not at all surprised. Had you verified that all of your PC's hardware components are capable of supporting WinXP? This information will be found at the PC's manufacturer's web site, and on Microsoft's Windows Catalog: (http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/default.mspx)
You should also have taken a few minutes to ensure that there are WinXP-specific device drivers available for all of the machine's components. There may not be, if the PC was specifically designed for Win98/Me. Also bear in mind that PCs designed for, sold and run fine with Win9x/Me very often do not meet WinXP's much more stringent hardware *quality* requirements. This is particularly true of many models in Compaq's consumer-class Presario product line or HP's consumer-class Pavilion product line. WinXP, like WinNT and Win2K before it, is quite sensitive to borderline defective or substandard hardware (particularly motherboards, RAM and hard drives) that will still support Win9x.
HOW TO Prepare to Upgrade Win98 or WinMe
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q316639
Upgrading to Windows XP
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpupgrad.htm
HOW TO Troubleshoot Windows XP Problems During Installation When You
Upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Me
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q310064
If you call Dell, they tell you to call Microsoft....
Well, yes. By installing a non-OEM (i.e., not from Dell) OS, you voided any support agreements that Dell might have had with you. Dell's resposible for supporting that computer only so long as it remained "pure" Dell.
....and if you call Microsoft they tell you to call Dell.
Because Microsoft can't control the compatibility or quality of those antique Dell hardware components.
Unfortunately, you've placed yourself in "support limbo" by unnecessarily trying to upgrade an incompatible or (most likely) sub-standard system.
Any help is appreciated.
Reinstall Win98 and leave well enough alone. (Or replace the computer with something a bit more modern, if you can afford it.)
--
Bruce Chambers
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